PCB seeks evidence as Kaneria leads Sindh

Lahore: Pakistan cricket bosses will ask British authorities for the full judgment and evidence in a spot-fixing case that implicated leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, officials said on Saturday.

Kaneria`s Essex teammate in England, Mervyn Westfield, was sentenced to four months in prison on Friday after he pleaded guilty to taking money to bowl badly in a 2009 match between Essex and Durham.

At the Old Bailey Westfield admitted receiving ?6,000 ($9,200) to bowl so that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of the contest, although in the event only 10 were conceded.

Prosecutors said the player had been lured into the fix after an approach by Kaneria, who was arrested in connection with the case in 2010 but later released without charge.

On Saturday Kaneria was captaining Sindh province against Punjab in the Pakistani domestic Pentangular Cup final in Lahore.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said the organisation had to seek evidence or material before it could act against the leg-spinner.

"Since Kaneria is a Pakistan player we are obviously looking into the matter with a lot of concern," said Rizvi.

"Since the match was an England domestic match, it`s in the England board`s jurisdiction and we will seek evidence from the concerned authorities.

"Once it comes we can only then summon him before the Integrity Committee of the PCB where his case is still pending."

Kaneria was selected for Pakistan`s series against South Africa in October 2010 but was withdrawn at the last moment when the Integrity Committee did not clear him.

He challenged the decision in court but his case was dismissed in November last year.

"The stance of the PCB is one of zero tolerance towards any player with questionable integrity. The judgment of Westfield raised a lot of questions but in law everybody is innocent until proven guilty," said Rizvi.

The case implicating Kaneria is the latest blow to Pakistani cricket after a spot-fixing scandal on the team`s tour of England in 2010 ended in lengthy bans and jail terms for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

That prompted International Cricket Council to force Pakistan to form an Integrity Committee to check players` assets and suspicions against them.